SipahSalar
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If ‘Game of Thrones’ were in the Middle East - The Washington Post
The Sauds are the Lannisters, I guess everyone else can just give up then.
The Al-Saud's send their regards!
House Lannister = Saudi Arabia
The wealthiest and most powerful house in Westeros, the Lannisters are kingmakers. To the house's lead patriarch, family matters before all. The Lannisters' influence can be felt in direct and subtle ways across the realm, even in places far from their domains. They are criticized by some for having a record of abuse and brutality, while others resent how their power has been built purely on the natural resources found beneath their lands.
More than anything, the Lannisters care about preserving the political status quo that they helped establish in the region. Recent events -- and Lannister overreactions -- may lead to a dangerous unraveling.
House Stark = Middle East's crushed liberals and democrats
For longer than most remember, the Starks labored in the remote north of Westeros, out in the cold. Then, they had a brief moment in the sun -- only to be brought down by what's remembered as a bitter, tragic betrayal. Now, they are hounded wherever they turn. Some, faced with little choice, wereco-opted by those they shouldn't trust. Others have gone underground orabroad and are waiting for their fortunes to change. There had been talk of spring, but for the Starks, winter truly came.
House Baratheon = Arab autocrats
Until recently, House Baratheon ruled over much of the realm, sometimes with a guiding Lannister hand. The recent troubles have led to divisionswithin their camp. One faction seeks to upstage the Lannisters -- so desperately that it has led to quixotic adventures far from their traditional home.
House Targaryen = United States*
The Targaryen dynasty came from afar and lorded over Westeros for decades. Their vastly superior firepower -- literally, dragons -- was a guarantor of their hegemony; an alliance of convenience with the Lannisters didn't hurt, either. But upheavals in the realm have cast the Targaryens out in the wilderness, and relations with the Lannisters have frayed. There are some still in Westeros who clamor for their return. Whatever the case, their weaponry is coveted by all of Westeros's pretenders to the throne.
House Greyjoy = Turkey
The Greyjoys remember fondly a distant age when they counted large swathes of Westeros under their dominion, but it's ancient history to almost everyone else. Steeped in their own traditions and ways, their recent interventions in parts of the region have smacked of political naïveté. Their leader was once a strong, transformational figure, but now more regularlyfumes in his citadel, fearful of enemies closing in around him.
House Martell = Iran**
House Martell of the southern region of Dorne has always seen itself as distinct from the other major houses of Westeros. They come from a different ethnic background and take pride in their own myths and legends. Their hatred of the Lannisters is matched only by the long-standing enmity for the Tyrells (see below).
House Tyrell = Israel**
The Tyrells pride themselves on the prosperous realm that they've cultivated in Westeros, removed from wider ruin and dysfunction. They've had to hold their nose and find common cause with the Lannisters, despite obvious differences. Their rivalry with (and mistrust for) the Martells of Dorne is on a constant simmer, and sometimes flares into open conflict.
Wildlings = Islamists
The Wildlings -- they call themselves the "free folk" -- were always there, and in many ways are just like everyone else in Westeros. But some of the land's noble houses conspired to subdue them, and built a vast Wall to keep them out. Their latest attempts to come out from the cold have been met by stiff resistance, particularly by one wing of the Baratheon clan.
White Walkers = Islamic State
The Wildlings are in truth fleeing these monstrous creatures, some of whom are zombie Wildlings. The White Walkers are shockingly effective in their tactics, and swallow up new recruits into their mysteries at frightening rates. There's a lot of debate over where they come from and what they want, but everyone agrees that they're awful.
Night's Watch = Kurds
On the frontlines in the fight against both the Wildlings as well as the more terrifying White Walkers, the Night's Watch mans the Wall that guards the other kingdoms of Westeros. Their clashes with the Wildlings and White Walkers have intensified in recent times. Some people believe they are as lousy a pack of scoundrels and criminals as those who they battle. Theirlobbying efforts in the main capital have yielded a degree of support.
The Riverlands = Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere
Who remembers when these lands were lush and peaceful? Now, all is war and ruin as the great houses vie for supremacy. Amid the violence, it's thesmallfolk who pay the most hideous price.
The Sauds are the Lannisters, I guess everyone else can just give up then.
The Al-Saud's send their regards!
House Lannister = Saudi Arabia
The wealthiest and most powerful house in Westeros, the Lannisters are kingmakers. To the house's lead patriarch, family matters before all. The Lannisters' influence can be felt in direct and subtle ways across the realm, even in places far from their domains. They are criticized by some for having a record of abuse and brutality, while others resent how their power has been built purely on the natural resources found beneath their lands.
More than anything, the Lannisters care about preserving the political status quo that they helped establish in the region. Recent events -- and Lannister overreactions -- may lead to a dangerous unraveling.
House Stark = Middle East's crushed liberals and democrats
For longer than most remember, the Starks labored in the remote north of Westeros, out in the cold. Then, they had a brief moment in the sun -- only to be brought down by what's remembered as a bitter, tragic betrayal. Now, they are hounded wherever they turn. Some, faced with little choice, wereco-opted by those they shouldn't trust. Others have gone underground orabroad and are waiting for their fortunes to change. There had been talk of spring, but for the Starks, winter truly came.
House Baratheon = Arab autocrats
Until recently, House Baratheon ruled over much of the realm, sometimes with a guiding Lannister hand. The recent troubles have led to divisionswithin their camp. One faction seeks to upstage the Lannisters -- so desperately that it has led to quixotic adventures far from their traditional home.
House Targaryen = United States*
The Targaryen dynasty came from afar and lorded over Westeros for decades. Their vastly superior firepower -- literally, dragons -- was a guarantor of their hegemony; an alliance of convenience with the Lannisters didn't hurt, either. But upheavals in the realm have cast the Targaryens out in the wilderness, and relations with the Lannisters have frayed. There are some still in Westeros who clamor for their return. Whatever the case, their weaponry is coveted by all of Westeros's pretenders to the throne.
House Greyjoy = Turkey
The Greyjoys remember fondly a distant age when they counted large swathes of Westeros under their dominion, but it's ancient history to almost everyone else. Steeped in their own traditions and ways, their recent interventions in parts of the region have smacked of political naïveté. Their leader was once a strong, transformational figure, but now more regularlyfumes in his citadel, fearful of enemies closing in around him.
House Martell = Iran**
House Martell of the southern region of Dorne has always seen itself as distinct from the other major houses of Westeros. They come from a different ethnic background and take pride in their own myths and legends. Their hatred of the Lannisters is matched only by the long-standing enmity for the Tyrells (see below).
House Tyrell = Israel**
The Tyrells pride themselves on the prosperous realm that they've cultivated in Westeros, removed from wider ruin and dysfunction. They've had to hold their nose and find common cause with the Lannisters, despite obvious differences. Their rivalry with (and mistrust for) the Martells of Dorne is on a constant simmer, and sometimes flares into open conflict.
Wildlings = Islamists
The Wildlings -- they call themselves the "free folk" -- were always there, and in many ways are just like everyone else in Westeros. But some of the land's noble houses conspired to subdue them, and built a vast Wall to keep them out. Their latest attempts to come out from the cold have been met by stiff resistance, particularly by one wing of the Baratheon clan.
White Walkers = Islamic State
The Wildlings are in truth fleeing these monstrous creatures, some of whom are zombie Wildlings. The White Walkers are shockingly effective in their tactics, and swallow up new recruits into their mysteries at frightening rates. There's a lot of debate over where they come from and what they want, but everyone agrees that they're awful.
Night's Watch = Kurds
On the frontlines in the fight against both the Wildlings as well as the more terrifying White Walkers, the Night's Watch mans the Wall that guards the other kingdoms of Westeros. Their clashes with the Wildlings and White Walkers have intensified in recent times. Some people believe they are as lousy a pack of scoundrels and criminals as those who they battle. Theirlobbying efforts in the main capital have yielded a degree of support.
The Riverlands = Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere
Who remembers when these lands were lush and peaceful? Now, all is war and ruin as the great houses vie for supremacy. Amid the violence, it's thesmallfolk who pay the most hideous price.
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